Barrel terroir

Treatment and handling of your distillate.

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HDNB
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Barrel terroir

Post by HDNB »

An HD google search gave zero results. how often does that happen?

Anyway, thought tumbling around the empty space between my ears is terroir. The wine people will talk about the soil, the sun, the season and the grape, barrels and such also.

I have been filling a couple wee barrels and question is now where to put them? I don't have that much room in the still shack, but i have a horse barn, a sea can and a cold storage shed. The shed would be my preference but i can't secure it and kids run around here unsupervised...which always worries me since i was/(still are) an asshole kid.

This leaves the horse barn and the sea can. I'd prefer the sea can but it used to home some kind of machines, i'm sure, because it smells like machine oil to me (and that fumigation chemical they use on shit from China) The horse barn smells like...horses... in particular ammonia from horse piss.

so...barrels breathe. do they pick up tastes and smells from where they are stored for years at a time? can the smell of horse piss permeate an inch thick stave in say, 3 years?

druthers on horse piss or machine oils, i guess horse piss is better...but that seems like it may be considered an off-flavour. Besides, i got into this because i didn't like the commercial horse piss they sell now.

anybody have any experience with long term barrel storage?
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Swedish Pride
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Re: Barrel terroir

Post by Swedish Pride »

I've no experience with it but some of the scotch is said to take on the salty taste of the ocean air in it's vicinity.
Makes sense really, if stuff can leave the barrel stuff can get it.

possibly a locked door on the shed might be the best option?
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Re: Barrel terroir

Post by bbok »

Agreed. No personal experience but what I have read speaks to the barrel 'breathing' so I would imagine breathing horse piss would taste like.....

Just my 2 cents but try 'barrel storage' as a search because when I read 'terroir' I thought you were referring to the effect of terroir on the oak that went into the barrels
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Re: Barrel terroir

Post by Bushman »

What I have read on the subject because our product is distilled terroir is not as important as in the wine industry. Peated might be a slight exception to the case. Because Distiller's usually buy in bulk from suppliers from all over there are different varieties of barley that can be used. But just do to our process this is not a major factor in whisky taste in my opinion.
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Re: Barrel terroir

Post by bbok »

I tend to agree with you on the distilled point but others would argue if you are using local water (untreated) or locally sourced ingredients
https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styl ... d-terroir/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

What I am interested in is the terroir of the barrel and its components, depending on where its sourced should affect the oak extractives
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